Saturday, April 30, 2011

New York (tf.sf)-Wikileaks released Guantanamo Bay detainee file on Guleed Hassan Ahmed, US9SO-010023DP

Name: Guleed Hassan Ahmed

ISN: US9SO-010023DP

Time in Gitmo: 4 years, 7 months, 21 days

Released: No

Nationality: Somalia

Date of birth: 04/01/1974

Place of birth: Mogadishu, Somalia

Release date:

Arrest date:

Arrest location:

Arrested by:

Captured by US date:

Arrived at Guantanamo: 09/04/2006

Memo date: 09/19/2008

Detainee Summary: Detainee is an admitted member of both the East Africa al-Qaida (EAAQ) and Al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI).1 If released without close supervision 1 Analyst Note: AIAI is a National Intelligence Priority (NIPF) priority 3 counterterrorism target (CT). Priority 3 CT targets are issues, opportunities, or threats other senior policymakers and IC managers believe must receive attention from the IC that are not already identified as Priorities 1 or 2.
CLASSIFIED(S) and means to successfully reintegrate into his society as a law abiding citizen, it is assessed detainee would seek out prior associates who evaded capture and reengage in planning and conduct of terrorist operations against western assets in Djibouti and Ethiopia. Detainee 2 has stated that he would fight until his death for the AIAI cause. Since early September 2003, detainee had reportedly been coordinating with close associates of allegedly deceased EAAQ leader Abu Talh al-Sudani and was in the final stages of operational planning for terrorist operations in East Africa. Reporting indicates this planning was focused on western assets within Djibouti (DJ) including Camp Lemonier, DJ headquarters of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), US and western embassies, hotels and restaurants frequented by westerners, and US Navy and Coalition ships in the port of Djibouti or operating in the HOA region. Detainee is a known associate of former EAAQ cell leader, al-Sudani, and facilitated operations on his behalf. Detainee traveled to Afghanistan (AF) to train at the Khaldan Training Camp. In Somalia, detainee fought for AIAI against the Ethiopian Army.

Health: Detainee is in overall good health.Threat to US: HIGHIntelligence value: HIGHDetention risk: LOWRecommendation: Continued detention under DoD control

Council will continue the higher profile attention to Somalia initiated in March under the Chinese presidency. Council members will discuss Somalia in Nairobi during the upcoming Council mission to Africa and there will also be a debate in New York on the Secretary-General’s report on Somalia (due on 1 May). The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, is expected to brief the Council. It is unclear whether there will be any new decisions.Key Recent Developments
On 11 April the Council adopted resolution 1976 on Somali piracy. The resolution, initiated by Russia, followed up the January report of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Legal Issues Related to Piracy off the coast of Somalia, Jack Lang. The Council called for strengthening of efforts on the ground on rule of law, governance and economic development, as well as continued focus on enhancing the legal framework for prosecution of pirates. It also: requested the Secretary-General to report within six months on the protection of Somali natural resources and waters and on allegations of illegal fishing and illegal dumping of toxic substance off the coast of Somalia;
expressed the Council’s intention “to keep under review” the possibility of applying targeted sanctions against those involved in piracy activities; and
requested a report from the Secretary-General within two months on the modalities of establishing specialised courts to try suspected pirates as recommended by the Special Adviser and expressed its intention to “urgently consider” the establishment of such courts.
On 14 April, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that there had been a steep rise in piracy off the coast of Somalia in the first three months of this year. Ninety-seven attacks (resulting in 15 hijackings) had been recorded, compared with 35 in the same period last year. According to IMB there had also been a dramatic increase in the violence and sophistication of techniques used by Somali pirates.
In April, Mahiga continued his consultations on post-transitional arrangements for Somalia. There seemed to be a growing rift between the international community and the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG). In early April, the TFG, ignoring advice from the UN and the Council, decided to extend its mandate for a year beyond the end of the transitional period in August. Moreover, in a 4 April letter to the Secretary-General, Somali Prime Minister Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed demanded that all UN agencies working in Somalia should move to Mogadishu within ninety days.
The Somali president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and the prime minister boycotted a high-level consultative meeting convened by Mahiga in Nairobi on 12 and 13 April. It was attended, however, by the speaker of the Somali parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, as well as by the presidents of the Somali regional states of Puntland (which declared itself an autonomous state in 1998) and Galmudug and representatives from Ahlu Suna Wal Jamma, the pro-government Islamist movement, which controls parts of central Somalia. The meeting was convened to start a process of consultations “aimed at consolidating peace, working towards a smooth end to the transition and preparing for a political dispensation following that.”
In a chairman’s statement at the end of the meeting, Mahiga concluded that there had been agreement among the Somali stakeholders present, on the need to end the transitional period in accordance with the provisions of the Transitional Federal Charter of Somalia, which calls for elections of the president and speaker before the end of the transition. It had been proposed, however, to extend the Transitional Federal Parliament for a period of two years in order to complete certain critical tasks, including preparations for elections. Mahiga also said there had been agreement on the need to reform the parliament, intensify outreach and reconciliation efforts, accelerate progress on a new constitution, implement previous agreements between the TFG, regional administrations and Ahlu Sunna Wa’al Jamaa and increase humanitarian and development assistance.
On 18 April, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe briefed Council members on the consultative meeting. (This was part of the monthly briefing on emerging or significant issues that has recently become Council practice.) Pascoe said the TFG had agreed to participate in a follow-up meeting to be convened in Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) expanded its control of Mogadishu to more than half the capital’s territory following the offensive that began at the end of February. This has come at a high cost, however, with more than 50 peacekeepers killed. There were also territorial gains in favour of the TFG elsewhere in Somalia.Human Rights-Related Developments
On 23 March, Zahra Mohamed Ali Samantar, the Minister of State at the Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia, addressed the Human Rights Council under its agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building. She said that her government attached great importance to the restoration of peace, observance of human rights and international humanitarian law in times of war, notwithstanding the challenges and difficulties that Somalia was facing. Following a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) workshop in Djibouti earlier this year, Somalia had decided to ratify the Conventions on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and on the Rights of the Child. Ali Samantar said that her government was committed to submitting its national human rights report in readiness for the UPR of Somalia scheduled for 5 May 2011.Key Issues
A key issue for the Council is how best to support Mahiga in bringing about agreement on post-transitional arrangements. A related issue is whether the Council should be more specific about its expectations for these arrangements, in particular as regards the legitimacy and future of the TFG and the need to hold elections for the positions of president and speaker of the parliament by August this year.
A second key issue is the TFG’s apparent unwillingness to engage “in a more constructive, open and transparent manner that promotes broader political dialogue and participation in line with the Djibouti Agreement,” as the Council called for in its March presidential statement. (The Council requested the Secretary-General to assess respect for these principles in his regular reports.)
Another issue is the extent of progress in other areas outlined as priorities in the Council’s previous decisions, including in resolution 1964 , such as drafting of a new constitution, adoption of a national security and stabilisation plan, development of Somali security institutions, delivery of basic services to the population, delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection of civilians. A related question is whether it is now time for UN agencies to move from Nairobi to Mogadishu.Options for the Council include:

Listening to Mahiga’s briefing, but taking no further action at least until after the visit to Nairobi;

Issuing a statement in advance of the visit signalling concern about the TFG’s failure to engage constructively with the international community, clarifying its expectations on post-transitional arrangements and reiterating some of its previous key messages;

Conveying these concerns in meetings with Somali officials during the upcoming trip to Africa; and

Moving in the Sanctions Committee to establish targeted sanctions against those involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia. (In April 2010, the UK objected to the listing of two pirate leaders proposed by the US to the Committee by putting a hold on their names. This has yet to be lifted.)

Council Dynamics
In the consultations following Pascoe’s briefing on 18 February, Council members seemed united in their unhappiness about the TFG’s refusal to participate in the meeting in Nairobi. Some pointed out that this was a direct defiance of one of the key messages of the Council’s March presidential statement. There was also a high level of frustration with the overall performance of Somali leaders, their continued infighting and failure to deliver in key areas in spite of strong support from the international community. There appeared to be a sense that the present situation cannot go on.

Most members seem to feel that Council action in May should reinforce developments in the consultations conducted by Mahiga. There are hopes for some outcome from the meeting to be convened in Mogadishu. At press time, a date had not yet been fixed for the meeting, but June seemed most likely.
The UK is the lead country on Somalia.

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A U.S. Senate delegation visited northern Somalia on Saturday in a rare visit to the war-torn country.
The delegation, which was led by Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, met with the president of Puntland in the town of Bossaso, the region's commercial hub.
The U.S. government has announced what it calls a two-track approach to Somalia. One track is continued support for the U.N.-backed government in Mogadishu, while reaching out to leaders in other parts of the country.
Somalia has been without a fully functioning since 1991 Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre central government AP

Somalia: US delegation arrives at Puntland State

(tf.sf) Bososa Somalia : A delegation from the Untied States government led by US Senator Mark Krak on Saturday arrived at Boaso, the port town of Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntlnd.

The American delegation, which came from Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya, were warmly welcomed in Bosas commercial town by President Abdurrahman Sheikh Mohamed Mohamoud Farole and some of his ministers.

The US delegation and puntland officials discussed a number of issues including solving the deteriorating Puntalnd-Mogadishu ties and strengthening the peace and stability in the region after rampant insecurity in Galka’yo.

In the duration of discussions, the US Senator also raised holding Somalia’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Mogadishu after three months.

The visit of US senator comes as the Somali transitional federal government’s term is to end in August, 2012.

To Somali American Community in Minneapolis MN , I Only Have One Question for you. can't your U.S. Rep Keith Ellison have the guts to visit the Somalia Visitedby US Senator Mark Kirk (R) not the "Little Somalia" Cedar. Riverside area neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota??
While many Somalis in mn seem to embrace theDemocratic Party platform and principles, some Somalis worked for the Republican Party campaigns in this last election cycles. Actually, votes from the most Somali=populated precinct were spilt between the two parties. Therefore, either party may produce the next Somali-American public official.

Learn about the latest news about the GOP, Join The Movement Today.Is the GOP looking out for you

COLUMBUS — Hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal money is pouring into the Columbus City Schools District for after-school tutoring programs.

But, after months of research, an ABC6 investigation reveals the vast majority of these programs aren’t making the grade.
In fact, as ABC6 Investigator Chris Koeberl finds, most of the students are actually failing.
Sharon Panico, of Sylvan Learning Center, “The goal here is to help children succeed and the goal here is to master some skills that they have not quite mastered.”The goal of federal Supplemental Education Services money, or S.E.S. funds, is being achieved at this Sylvan Learning Center in Hilliard. Here, children who need a little extra help to keep up in school are getting that assistance after school.
The concept is no child is left behind.
Unfortunately, Koeberl’s ABC6 investigation uncovered that this is one of only a small handful of after-school tutoring programs receiving federal money that’s making the grade in the Columbus area.In confronting Mussa Farah, Koeberl said, “We are trying to talk to you. We want to get your side of the story about the Horn of Africa.”“No, talk to my lawyer,” Farah replied. – WATCH VIDEO

i hope he gets long sentence and rots in prison. and after he gets out, he must be ordered to pay restitution the rest of his life. wallahi that would do it for me.

COLUMBUS -- Hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal money is pouring into the Columbus City Schools District for after-school tutoring programs.

But, after months of research, an ABC6 investigation reveals the vast majority of these programs aren't making the grade.

In fact, as ABC6 Investigator Chris Koeberl finds, most of the students are actually failing.

Sharon Panico, of Sylvan Learning Center, "The goal here is to help children succeed and the goal here is to master some skills that they have not quite mastered."

The goal of federal Supplemental Education Services money, or S.E.S. funds, is being achieved at this Sylvan Learning Center in Hilliard. Here, children who need a little extra help to keep up in school are getting that assistance after school.

The concept is no child is left behind.

Unfortunately, Koeberl's ABC6 investigation uncovered that this is one of only a small handful of after-school tutoring programs receiving federal money that's making the grade in the Columbus area.

In confronting Mussa Farah, Koeberl said, "We are trying to talk to you. We want to get your side of the story about the Horn of Africa."

"No, talk to my lawyer," Farah replied.

Farah is the head of the Horn of Africa, a state-approved tutoring program that received tens of thousands of dollars of federal money funneled through the Columbus City Schools District for after-school tutoring.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Imad Enchassi, imam and president of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, holds a copy of the Holy Quran at Mercy School, an Islamic school opened in 2010 in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY JOHN CLANTON, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Imad Enchassi, imam and president of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, often tells jokes as he shares about his Muslim faith and culture.

BY CARLA HINTON
Oklahoman
April 29, 2011

As one of the more prominent Muslim leaders in the Oklahoma City metro area, Imad Enchassi’s quick smile and endless supply of jokes often diffuses any tension over religious differences.

Enchassi, the imam and president of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said he learned that making people laugh humanizes him so that people learn to look beyond common Muslim stereotypes.

“Comedy is part of our ‘treach’ — preach and teach,” he said.

“We’ve (Muslims) been dehumanized so when I go and crack a couple of jokes, they say ‘This imam, he’s funny, he’s human.’”

Enchassi, 46, readily brings his humor to the forefront, but his life has not always been filled with fun and jokes. Prejudice and religious bigotry have marked portions of his life, but he said he refuses to be defined by it.

Enchassi grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Syrian mother and Palestinian father. He said he spent his teen years in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps and was there in September 1982 when the camps were set upon by a group called the Lebanese Christian militiamen and hundreds of refugees were killed.

Enchassi said surviving the massacre made him think long and hard about the power and destructiveness of hatred.

“I knew that hatred had to stop. What hatred is so deep that would make someone cut a baby from the womb?” he said.

Enchassi said he immigrated to the United States soon after the massacre and attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth. He said he worked his way through college (he obtained a graduate degree in human resources management) with a cafeteria chain that eventually sent him to Oklahoma City to operate one of its restaurants.

Enchassi said he joined with a relatively small contingent of Muslims to form the Islamic Society. He said a shortage of imams prompted the society’s board to ask him to fill in as the organization’s spiritual leader. He said he he’s the position of imam and society president since 2003.

Enchassi said the society started in an apartment on NW 50 and Portland Avenue and met there for four years before opening the organization’s current mosque in December 1997. He said the Muslim community that attends services at the mosque, 3214 N St. Clair has grown from about 27 people to more than 1,000.

Enchassi said he went back to school in Lebanon several years ago to earn a bachelor’s degree an doctorate degree in Islamic studies. He said he felt it was important to obtain more knowledge about the roots of his faith because he is now serving as spiritual guide for many Oklahoma Muslims.

Enchassi said he’s proud of the fact that the society built a new building to house Mercy School, the Islamic school it founded for local Muslim youths.

He said the school is part of his two-fold vision for the future.

He said first, he and other society leaders will continue working to educate Muslims, particularly young Muslims, about their faith. They want to make sure they are proud of their faith and their place in American society.

“Being American and Muslim does not contradict each other — they complements each other,” Enchassi said.

Second, the Muslim leader said he wants to continue educating the community-at-large about the Islamic faith. He said strong interfaith relationships in Oklahoma were developed in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 when false rumors circulated that Muslims were responsible for the tragedy. Enchassi said that interfaith awareness helped in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and he said his vision is for those relationships with people and leaders of other faiths to be strengthened.

“The aim is to prepare and educate people about Islam in order to move forward in the future.”

He’s writing a book about the lessons he’s learned.

“There is an Islamic proverb that says ‘Anytime I debate an intelligent person, I win. Anytime I debate an ignorant person, he wins.’”

The Somali government has announced that government forces in Gedo and Jubba will soon be receiving stipends in order to strengthen the fight against Al Shabab.

Speaking to the government soldiers in Elwak, deputy minister for defense of the TFG Abdirashid Mohamed Hiddig said the soldiers operating in Gedo and Jubba will receive regular pay after registration and listing.

Mr. Hiddig said the administration in Gedo will be fully armed and the national military court will be established to ensure the good discipline of the soldiers.

Hiddig met with the heads of the government soldiers and Raaskamboni group, among them Sheikh Ahmed Madoobe. The deputy minister also visited the central police station and health centers where the injured government soldiers in the latest assault on Al Shabab are being nurtured.

Hiddig urged the soldiers to maintain peace which he said is breached by Al Shabab.

Picture of Mohamed Hersi, taken by himself at Pearson International Airport and posted to his Facebook account March 29, 2011. Moments later he was arrested by RCMP officers

A Toronto man facing terrorism charges after allegedly planning to join a Somali group linked to Al Qaeda was granted bail on Friday.Mohamed Hassan Hersi, 25, will remain under 24-hour house arrest except for medical emergencies and lawyer meetings.Hersi must be with one of his four sureties at all times in a release plan approved by Justice of the Peace Hilda Weiss in a Brampton courtroom.

Bail of $200,000 with no deposit was ordered. Hersi must not to have any Internet access, a cell phone or a smart phone, but can use a home landline.He can’t possess any weapons or ammunition, and must remain in Ontario and not apply for a passport.The reasons for granting bail remain under a publication ban as is all evidence presented during a two-day special bail hearing held earlier this month.“It was a well-reasoned and thought out decision and we are obviously very pleased,” Hersi’s lawyer, Anser Farooq, said outside the courtroom.

“I hope the Crown re-evaluates its case and decides whether this is a prosecution worth pursuing...”

Federal Crown attorney Iona Jaffe said she accepts the court’s decision.Hersi was arrested at Toronto’s Pearson Airport last month as he was about to board a jet to Cairo via London. He had a one-way ticket, police said.Police allege Hersi planned to join the Somali militant group Al Shabaab, which is trying to overthrow Somalia’s government. Al Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist group in the U.S. and Canada.His lawyer previously told reporters that his client never wanted to join the group. He claimed he was set up by a man who tried to befriend him.Police suspect several young Canadians have gone to Somalia to join the group in recent years.Hersi is a Canadian citizen. He was traveling alone when arrested, police said.He was charged under Canada’s anti-terrorism law with attempting to participate in terrorist activity and with providing counsel to a person to participate in a terrorist activity.Hersi’s arrest came following a six-month investigation dubbed “Project Severe.”

Relatives earlier told the Star that Hersi planned to study Arabic for several months in Egypt.

Hersi was born in Somalia but moved to Canada as a child.He graduated from the University of Toronto with a science degree in 2009 but had been working as a security guard, relatives said.

Hersi’s arrest sparked fears within the local Somali community that Al Shabaab, known as an Islamic youth militia, is still recruiting young men. In 2009, six Somali-Canadian men disappeared from the Toronto area and are believed to have joined the group. One died in battle about a year ago.

Because Al Shabaab is a listed terrorist group within the authority of law in Canada, any participation in that group constitutes an offence under Canadian law.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A federal judge sentenced a Somali man to 10 years in prison for failing to acknowledge ties to two global terrorist groups after he was arrested near the Texas-Mexico border in 2008, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday night.

Ahmed Muhammed Dhakane, 25, prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue an alert in May 2010 asking Houston-area authorities to be on the lookout for a suspected member of al-Shabaabp, an al-Qaida ally based in Somalia. That warning came when two new charges of lying on a U.S. asylum application were filed against Dhakane, who had been arrested on immigration charges in Brownsville, across the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico, in March 2008.

Dhakane pleaded guilty on Nov. 2 to two counts of lying on his asylum application, and the Justice Department said in a statement that he failed to acknowledge he had been a member of, or associated with, al-Barakat and Al-Ittihad Al-Islami, from prior to Sept. 11, 2001, until January 2003.

Al-Barakat is a financial transfer network; Al-Ittihad al-Islami, or the Islamic Union, wants to impose Islamic law in Somalia. Both are on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of global terrorist groups with links to al-Qaida, according to the indictment against Dhakane.

U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio sentenced Dhakane to 10 years behind bars, and ordered that he be placed under supervised release for three years after completing his prison term.

The Justice Department said Dhakane also provided false information concerning his entry into the United States when he claimed he and his wife traveled from Somalia to Mexico via Russia, Cuba, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Instead, the statement said, from June 2006 until March 2008, Dhakane resided in Brazil where he participated in — and later ran — a large-scale human smuggling enterprise

Dhakane also lied about his traveling partner, a minor he claimed was his wife. The Justice Department said she was actually a smuggling client, that the pair were never married, and that Dhakane repeatedly raped and eventually impregnated her prior to traveling to the U.S. He also threatened to have her killed if she told authorities he had raped her, and that they were never married, according to the statement.

Citing a Justice Department memo and other documents it obtained, the San Antonio News-Express reported in March that federal officials believed Dhakane helped "violent jihadists" from East Africa sneak through Mexico and into Texas.

Despite his pleading guilty to making false statements while under oath in the immigration proceedings, Dhakane has denied that he smuggled potential terrorists into the U.S., and also says he never helped groups accused of funding terrorism.

So now only Baardheere is left in the Gedo region. The TFG troops have taken
over Dollow, Beled-Xaawo, Luuq, Ceel-Waaq, and today Garbahareey.

GARBAHAAREY(tf.sf) Reports from Garbahaarey town, regional capital of Gedo southern Somalia confirmed the Somali military forces have taken over the control of the district after fierce fighting between government forces and Alshabaab militant which erupted early on Thursday morning in the outskirts of Garbahaarey.

Somali military commander in El-waq district in the region, Abdi Abdulla said after clashes with alshabaab government forces have completely seized whole the district.

Abdi Abdulla added they killed 35 of alshabaab fighters and seized battle wagons from Al-Qaida linked Alshabaab. Somali military commander in El-waq district in Gedo region underlined four of Somali military forces were injured in the heavy fighting.

Independent news sources confirmed that 20 people mainly warring sides have died the fighting which eased government to retake the strategic town from Alshabaab.

Somali military officials in Gedo region in southern Somalia already vowed that they planned to overpower al Qaida liked alshabaab during this month.

Belet Hawo — Some 36 Al shabaab fighters have been killed and doznes more injured after heavy fighting with Somali army in Gedo region in southern Somalia, a government official said on Thursday.

Mohammed Abdi Kalil, the governor of Somali government in Gedo region told Shabelle that the fighting took place in the village of Tulo Barwaqo just outside of Garbaharey town, the regional capital of Gedo.

After fierce combat, Somali forces managed to chase away Al shabaab from the village where their dead bodies scattered.

The governor indicated that the forces of Somali transitional federal government are now in place about 5 kilometers from Garbaharey.

He vowed that they will capture the provincial capital of Gedo as soon as possible.

He said that Al shabaab fighters have dismantled and they are not as powerful as it is thought.

Al shabaab officials in Gedo region have not released any comments about the fighting and government claims.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges stemming from a February bomb scare on a westbound Amtrak train that caused the entire train to be evacuated in severe winter conditions west of Browning.
Hussein Abdi Hassan, 24, pleaded guilty to false information/hoaxes. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 22.According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, after Hassan was arrested and escorted off the train for disorderly conduct on Feb. 14, he told a Glacier County Sheriff's deputy that he had left "something very dangerous" on the train. The train's conductor had called ahead to the sheriff's office and requested that Hassan be taken off at the Browning train depot because he was intoxicated and extremely disruptive.
Based upon the threat, the Amtrak train was stopped a short while later in a field between Browning and East Glacier. The Glacier County Sheriff's Office arranged for approximately 140 passengers to be transported by bus to the Browning Middle School, where community volunteers took care of them. In order to get to the buses, passengers had to walk approximately 75 feet across a frozen pond in extremely snowy and windy conditions.
An explosives team from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls later searched the train after it was evacuated and found no explosives.
A report by the Glacier County Sheriff's Office states that Hassan had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath when he was arrested. This is the sequence of events from that point on, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office:
While the deputy who arrested him was taking him to the sheriff's office in his squad car, Hassan demanded to know why he was being arrested.
"This is not right, I paid for a f- - - ing train ride, and where is my bag?" Hassan said. The deputy responded that he did not get off the train with a bag, at which point Hassan began to laugh, and said, "Damn fools, all of you."
After Hassan asked again about his bag, he reportedly told the deputy, "No one will survive on that train."
When the deputy asked him why, Hassan reportedly said, "It has something very dangerous in it."
The deputy asked whether it was a bomb, to which Hassan responded, "Yes, do you even know who is on that train?" The deputy said, no and asked who, to which Hassan replied, "Very dangerous people, very dangerous. My bag was not locked and it can be anywhere, because I do not know where it is at now."
The deputy asked Hassan whether he was lying, to which he responded, "I am Muslim, I cannot lie." Hassan then stated to the deputy, "We can sell our story to CNN for a large amount. I'll be famous for awhile."
During pretrial motions before his guilty plea, Hassan's defense claimed that those statements were not admissible in court because Hassan was never informed of his Miranda rights when he was arrested. The prosecution responded that Hassan made those statements voluntarily and that a defendant's Miranda rights only apply to interrogations, not voluntary statements. A hearing on that motion was set for today, but was vacated after Hassan's guilty plea.
Hassan faces possible penalties of 5 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Attorney's office also indicated Monday that it would seek restitution of $250,000 to $275,000.
Hassan was also charged in Glacier County District Court in February with two felony charges of criminal endangerment and one misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He is being held at the Cascade County Regional Detention Center.
According to a March detention order signed by U.S. Magistrate Keith Strong, Hassan is not a U.S. citizen and could be deported back to Somalia upon conviction. Strong ordered that Hassan be held while the charges were being processed because he was deemed as a "serious" flight risk with no ties to Montana Tribune

Long-term partnerships with nations touted

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - The U.S. Air Force chief of staff told Africa's military leaders Tuesday that U.S. security interests on the continent are best served by building long-term partnerships with African nations and regional security organizations.
Gen. Norton Schwartz said that an airpower strategy focused on Africa would enable the U.S. and its African allies to address root causes of security problems before they manifest themselves through violence.
This would prevent lower-intensity challenges from festering into "larger-scale crises that we must confront," he said at the African Air Chiefs Conference in the Ethiopia capital, which is the headquarters for the African Union.
North Africa faces terrorism threats from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, while east Africa faces terrorism threats from groups in Somalia, such as al-Shabab, an ally of al-Qaida. Military cooperation is key to addressing those threats, said U.S. Air Forces Africa commander Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward.
Woodward addressed concerns that the U.S. is trying to militarize the African continent, considering the role the U.S. and NATO are playing against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The African Union has denounced the foreign military action in Libya, saying it undermines finding an African solution to an African problem.
"Some may point to recent military operations in Libya and claim that we have not been true to our word," Woodward said. "The approach hasn't changed. Partnering with African nations to enable African solutions or African problems is still our primary philosophy."
Schwartz said he prefers long-term assignments to episodic or ad hoc relationships and interventions.
The general said he wants the U.S. Air Force to engage in more lasting and permanent programs facilitating, training and cooperating with security forces in Africa.
The U.S. Air Forces provide airpower to AFRICOM, the Germany-based U.S. military headquarters for Africa operations. AFRICOM primarily engages in military-to-military development programs and executes military operations. Its main goal is to defeat al-Qaida's network and promote stability and security in Africa to protect the U.S. population, its website says.

At least ten people died and four others sustained injuries when their minibus was blown off by a landmine in Haano-wein, a place 3 km afar the town of Luq in Gedo region.
The Commissioner of Gedo region for the Somali transitional federal government, Mohamed Abdi Kalil who spoke to Bar-kulan said that most of the victims were women and children from Bakol region heading to the refugee camps in Kenya.
The injured are being treated in a hospital in Luq where government forces have recently taken control of.
This is the second landmine explosion in a series of landmine blasts in the last 48 hours in the outskirts of Luq. The first blast went off on a lorry carrying goods. The blast culminated in the death of two people
Government officials in the area accuse Al Shabab of being behind the explosions in the region. Al Shabab plants mines and explosives to prevent advancing government forces.

Garbaharey, Somalia (AHN) - Somali government forces allied with troops of the moderate Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Waljama (ASWJ) launched a surprise attack on an al Shabaab group in a southern Somalia village, killing at least 20 militants, an official said Wednesday.

Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, better known as al Qadi, the spokesman of Ahlu Sunna fighters in southern Somalia, said the ambush attack targeted an al Shabaab military base in the village of Tulo Barwaqo, about 20 kilometers from the town of Garbaharey, the provincial capital of Gedo region, which al Shabaab tightly controls.

"We have seized a lot of weapons, including assault rifles, pistols, explosive devices and as well as two military vehicles after running away from their military position in the area," al Qadi told the media Wednesday morning.

"Our forces also counted at least 20 dead bodies from the militant group," he added.

The spokesman noted that one of the ASWJ soldiers suffered a light injury in the shoulder.

He vowed that combating the al Qaeda-linked group will continue until all Somali regions fall into the hands of Somali government and Ahlu Sunna Waljama and Somali people will be free from what he described as the colony of fundamentalists whose aim is to destroy the sovereignty and existence of the Horn of African nation.

The surprise attack comes hours after Somali forces in Luq town came under hit and run attacks. Four soldiers of the Somali army were slain, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

A spokesperson for al Shabaab claimed their fighters inflicted heavy losses in the attach.

Since April, al Shabaab has lost key military positions in the Somali capital as well as strategic towns in Gedo and Lower Jubba regions in southern Somalia.

NORFOLK, Va. -- A Somali man accused of acting as chief negotiator for pirates who took four Americans hostage and killed them in February is scheduled for an arraignment heraring in

Virginia. Mohammad Saaili Shibin will appear before a federal judge in Norfolk on Wednesday. He faces piracy, kidnapping and weapons charges in association with the hijacking of the yacht Quest several hundred miles south of Oman.Federal prosecutors say Shibin is the highest-ranking pirate the U.S. has captured in its efforts to help crack down on a rash of hijackings off Africa. He's the first suspected pirate to be captured by the U.S. in Somalia instead of at sea.Court documents say Shibin has acknowledged receiving a $30,000 payment for his negotiation services of the hijacked German vessel M/V Marida Marguerite

First and foremost, I admire your services and gesture towards peace and humanity in general. Recently, I have read your arrangement with HAQSOOR, an NGO based in break-away Republic of Somaliland. I have no problem with the core issues in relationship to peace advancement and reconciliation efforts anywhere in Somalia. However, there are two sides of the same story: the article published in Prnewswire.com appears HAQSOOR is negotiating with you guys on behalf of all Somalis, but a different picture is painted in the HAQSOOR

website. This is how they define HAQSOOR:

"HAQSOOR

is a non-profit NGO Organization founded in 2003 by a number of Somalilanders
aspiring to promote alternative and creative means of preventing, managing and

resolving conflict."

I happened to be from the region which they would like to separate from the rest of Somalia, but I am a unionist, I don't believe dismemberment and further divisions of my country. In the report, you indicated Somaliland and Puntland are relatively peaceful. That is not true at all, simply the media depicts them more peaceful than the South. In reality, horrendous killings and subjugation of the civilians take place in Somaliland and Puntland on a daily bases. Both of them are run by remnants of the former political armed movements namely: SNM and SSDF. Somaliland and Puntland are Ethiopian outposts and they occupy the pro-peace regions of Sool and Sanaag by force. Indeed, Under the guise of regional administrations and semi-autonomous status, Somaliland and Puntland have succeeded to lure the international community to believe they are far better than the central government, a claim supported by Ethiopia, our hostile neighbor and mastermind of all the chaos and suffering in Somalia.

The article in Prnewswire mentions: "HAQSOOR NGO will become an authorized, local mediation center where Somalis can feel that a true, neutral party exists to help disputed
groups come to an agreement."

How in the world a separatist group will promote peace and tranquility in Somalia, while they divide the country and fuel wars in the southern Somalia. I think this is very dangerous course for your organization to deal with an illegal entity. If you are honest about peace and co-existence in Somalia, why don't you work with the Transitional Federal Government, or any other more legitimate organization? I hope you understand my concerns.

Belet Hawo (tf.sf)— Somali government's administration in Gedo region in southern Somalia on Sunday said again they are at war against Al shabaab fighters in the region.In interview with mogadishu Radio, Mohammed Abdi Kalil, the transitional government's governor of Gedo region says that his forces got ready launching huge offensive which he said they will decimate Al shabaab administration in the region as soon as possible.He reiterated that Somali army in the region will attack Al shabaab fighters in in the districts of Bardhere and Garbaharey. gado region

Fist for Fist: Rise of the Somali Nationalist

So far within the past ten months alone, there has been over 2, 000 misguided youth, all now dead, many of whom were Al-Shabaab’s zombie foot soldiers.A nation’s strength is marked by its youth and in Somalia’s case not even the misguided youth could smash the rise of the Son’s of Somalia. Who only wished that the Somali flag be raised and that Somalia belongs ONLY to Somali’s (not
arab worshipping niggers).The era of the rise of the Somali nationalist was marked by PM Farmajoo. When he boldly screamed that TFG nationalist would begin to save the country within 100 days.
This lead to the Merehan effect, where nationalist Merehan and Ogaden clans, fist for fist smashed Al-shabaab all over Gedo province, and scored a massive victory for Somalia by within a weak waving
the Somali flag in Dhobeleey.The UN and the rest of the internationally community (mainly the western world) could not stand this fact and started pushing Mahiga to hold a UN conference on Somalia to destroy the victorious TFG. The conference was created only to divide the Somali people who strongly rallied behind the TFG rather than Al-Shabaab.They see the Somali people
overwhelming uniting behind the TFG rather than Somalia becoming a stalemate, which they wanted.

Somaliland these past few months launched endlessly attacks against the TFG. Either by propaganda or by funding Al-shabaab through Dhabshiil.The useless Sunna Wajamah crew split up after endless in-fighting. They even had one of their towns taken over by Al-Shabaab with only two technical’s.Puntland faces instability after instability, its plan to hold Somalia’s reconciliation lies in tatters and its remarks about the TFG baseless.

School bullying has been an unforgiving curse since the first time students were put in a school environment. Mistreatment of minority students, mental, emotional or even physical, has been the fate of countless students. The latest ethnic community to suffer from this phenomenon has been the Arab and Muslim community. The NJ Chapter of American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee will host an important presentation on April 28, 2011, to address the rise of bullying against young Muslim Americans, which have increased in frequency. Many young people in schools are facing emotional and physical abused being called "terrorists" or told "to go home" on a daily basis. When hate speech is not taken seriously, it has the potential to turn violent.

The recent news that an 8-year-old boy was found hanging from a bathroom hook at his school in Louisville, KY, has shocked a whole community and school officials. The son of Somali immigrant parents, the boy was found unconscious and hospitalized with serious injuries, yet it took three weeks for his story to reach national headlines. The sad truth was that the boy had been experiencing chronic bullying, which was not addressed by the school.

In New Jersey, I have heard of several cases where Arab and Muslim children have been the constant victims of harassment by fellow students. Accusations of being a terrorist, a foreigner and un American top the list of slurs thrown at helpless children. Add to this onslaught the endless attacks on Islam and the gravity of the problem become apparent. The fact is that most school Administrators attempt to treat complaints on an individual basis. Yet they fail to recognize the widespread nature of the epidemic. It is our belief that the NJ Department of Education should begin to address this matter at the highest level and provide appropriate remedial solutions.

The reality is that when irresponsible public officials and political pundits engage in hate speech it has real consequences on the ground. The rhetoric about the Muslim American community on talk radio, national news outlets and in many communities has become poisonous in nature.

Bullying of Muslim Americans is not limited to classrooms and playgrounds. Anti-Muslim sentiment has reared its ugly head over and over again. Consider the recent burning of a Quran by the fringe Pastor Terry Jones, the nationwide spike in anti-mosque sentiment, the recent wave of anti-Sharia bills in more than a dozen states across the country, a Villa Park, CA, councilwoman's call for violence against Muslim Americans and a recent case where a Muslim woman was refused service as a mattress store because the store manager considered her a national security threat.

Perhaps, New York Congressman Peter King (R-NY) takes the lead amongst politicians who have made a business out of vilifying Muslims, questioning their loyalty and doubting their patriotism. The incremental impact of all these deliberate measures at castigating an entire community eventually seeps into mainstream discourse, the school environment being a ripe soil for such inhuman acts. Left unchecked, bullying of young children may lead some of them into violent acts beyond the school playground.

Young people are the most vulnerable part of our society, and we must do whatever is needed to ensure that they feel safe and secure in our country's schools. Bullying is not only a problem for young Muslim Americans; it affects millions of children who might be seen as different in the sight of peers and school communities.

In March, President Barack Obama led a conference on bullying to challenge the belief that bullying is a normal rite of passage for youth. Obama emphasized that the federal government, educators, school administrators and communities all have to work together to put an end to bullying. www.Stopbullying.gov also was launched in order to provide resources for educators and communities on how to address bullying and keep our schools safe.

The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has a section for parents on how to file a complaint if their children are being harassed based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age in violation of federal laws. It is vital to document and report bullying incidents within six months. Bullying happens when peers, administrators and parents ignore the signs. Parents must ensure that this epidemic is weeded out of the dark shadows of school hallways and brought to light so that it may be addressed.

New Jersey has taken the lead when Governor Chris Christie signed into law in January, the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (S-2392). The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act will ensure that teachers and administrators are properly trained to intervene in these incidents, and are required to act when bullying is witnessed or reported. Parents will be empowered with information on their school district’s effectiveness in combating bullying and a direct line of communication with school officials if their child is affected. While we cannot change human nature, we can change how government and school officials respond to unacceptable behavior.

Our Legislators can pass laws but they cannot legislate tolerance and mutual respect. It is, therefore, the responsibility of faith leaders, parents, educators, government and the community to work together in order to create platforms where there can be education to promote mutual acceptance and understanding.

The New Jersey Arab American Heritage Commission has embarked on a long term effort to address the void in the State's high school social studies curriculum. By addressing the almost complete absence of positive reorientation of Arab culture, heritage and history, it is hoped bigotry in all its forms will be eliminated.The Star-Ledger

MoS Moments of Silence

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

Designation of Al-Shabaab

When our world changed forever

Al-Shabaab

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

SOMALI REPUBLICANS

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Al-Qaida in Somalia. ...

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.